Devlin Farmer, Esq., 2 Maple Ave. Suite 22, Northampton, MA 01060

family law

I can assist you with all family law matters whether you are creating a new family unit or dissolving a past relationship. For example I can assist with the following legal issues:

Divorce

Custody, visitation and parenting time

Family mobility including international

Parenting decisions

LGBT family law issues

Financial issues including property division

Child Support

Alimony or Spousal Support

Adopt a child or use fertility options such as surrogacy or sperm or egg donation

Pre-nuptial agreements and cohabitation agreements.

Separation Agreements

Grandparent and other family member rights

I assist clients to settle their family law matters through negotiation, mediation or collaborative law. If settlement is not realistic, I represent clients through litigation in Probate and Family Court. I am an experienced trial attorney who has appeared in multiple courts in Canada and the US.​I offer either full representation services OR Limited Appearance Representation (LAR) LAR means that I do a discrete task or tasks and you do other tasks. In other words, I do not represent you for everything, rather I help you by, for example, providing legal advice, writing a letter, preparing court papers or other tasks you may need.

How it works: Call my office to schedule a confidential, free initial consultation.

mediation

As a certified mediator and neutral, I help guide parties to a mutually agreeable resolution of areas of conflict. In my experience, mediation leads to the most affordable resolution of legal disputes. Like Collaborative Law, it offers hope for a continued working relationship with the other side, especially in the context of children's issues and wills or elder care disputes.

Mediation is confidential and therefore an ideal way to resolve conflicts outside of the public court system.

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Mediation is faster than litigation.Sessions may run from 1.5 to 2.5 hours. The number of sessions needed to reach agreement can typically range from one to five. I will give you a range typical for your situation when we have our initial consultation. I offer both pay by the hour and flat fee options.

I offer mediation in the following areas of law:

Family Law

Elder Law including estate disputes

Employment Law

Other areas after consultation

​Once an agreement is reached, you can rely on my more than 16 years experience drafting contracts to draft, for example, a Separation Agreement.

How it works: Call my office for a free pre-mediation screening over the phone.

collaborative law

Let a team of professionals help you! I am a trained Collaborative Lawyer and member of the Massachusetts Collaborative Law Council and the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals (IACP). I have a number of years experience working on significant collaborative matters including high conflict cases. I have also played a leading role in training other lawyers in Collaborative Law, in the local Hampden Hampshire Collaborative group and on task forces and committees such as the Access to Collaborative committee of IACP.

​Collaborative Law is an approach to a legal dispute where your lawyer works collaboratively with the other side's lawyer, as well as other needed team players such as Divorce Coaches and a financial planner. In Collaborative Law, the parties and their collaborative professionals agree NOT to go to court.

In my experience, Collaborative Law offers the most holistic, creative, needs based and effective resolution of legal disputes, especially family breakdown. It is bespoke tailoring versus "off the rack" Court. The harmful impact of litigation on the parties and their families is avoided and the harmful effects of separation are addressed directly. It works better than mediation because it has a built in process to get you ready for negotiating a settlement agreement.

Collaborative Law is affordable, typically costing only a fraction of the cost of a trial. I am committed to making this ideal conflict resolution tool affordable for everyone.

How it works: Call my office to schedule a confidential, free initial consultation.

Call (413) 586-5989 for a free initial consultation.

Recent News

September 4, 2017 -- New Child Support Guidelines go into effect September 15, 2017. I am offering a flat-fee child support consult to look at how the new law will impact you.

March 28, 2017 -- Mediation spots are still available for April. Call now for a free initial consult!

March 27, 2017 -- I'll be promoting Collaborative Law at the Table Top Expo. Stop by to say hello.

DISCLAIMER: Nothing on this website is meant to be legal advice. If you are seeking legal advice, you should communicate directly with a lawyer.The material on this website is provided for informational purposes only. The transmission of this information, and any response, does not constitute legal advice and does not create or imply an attorney-client relationship. Readers should not act or rely on any information provided herein without consulting legal counsel (i.e. an attorney).This website is attorney advertising.